Former UK Trustee, Ashland Exec, Giving $12M to University

A longtime donor and former University of Kentucky trustees has given $12 million to support an undergraduate center named for him.

The gift from Paul Chellgren and his wife, Deborah Cole Chellgren, will go to support the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence. The University says in a release that it is renaming the Woodland Glen I residence hall to Chellgren Hall in honor of the longtime donor.

The university says he has given more than $18 million over the years.

Part of the $12 million gift will go to support the Chellgren Center and the rest, about $8.5 million will create an endowment to support programmatic needs of the center.

The former chairman and chief executive officer of Ashland Inc. served on the university's board of trustees for 11 years.